2025-26 Team: Pelicans U20 (U20 SM-sarja) / Pelicans (Liiga) Date of Birth: Sept. 13, 2008 Place of Birth: Praha, CZE Ht: 6-foot-2 Wt: 194 pounds Catches: L Position: G NHL Draft Eligibility: 2026 first-year eligible
The 2026 Draft class lacks a clear top goaltending prospect, but Frantisek Poletin has earned steady attention from NHL scouts as a positioning-first netminder developing in Finland’s junior system. The 17-year-old left his hometown of Praha in the Czech Republic and HC Slavia Praha’s program to join Pelicans in Lahti, where he has worked his way from the U18 squad to a full-time U20 SM-sarja role, with at least one appearance in the Liiga this season.
Through 13 games in the U20 SM-sarja in 2025-26, Poletin posted a 2.38 goals-against average and .911 save percentage. Those numbers followed a strong 2024-25 campaign split between the Pelicans U18 team (20 GP, 12-6 record, 2.59 GAA, .924 SV%) and four U20 games (2-2, 2.79 GAA). The progression from U18 starter to U20 fixture to Liiga cameo in the span of 18 months shows a goaltender who keeps earning his next opportunity.
Poletin comes from a hockey family. His older brother, Tomas, was selected 102nd overall by the New York Islanders in the 2025 NHL Draft and taken first overall in the 2025 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft by the Kelowna Rockets. Frantisek was picked by the same Rockets organization in the third round (132nd overall) of that Import Draft but remained in Finland for 2025-26. A third brother, Michal, also plays. That family pipeline into the Kelowna system gives Poletin a clear Western Hockey League (WHL) pathway whenever he decides to come to North America.
Related: 2026 NHL Draft Guide
Internationally, Poletin represented Czechia at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, one of the top showcases for draft-eligible talent worldwide. He stopped 20 of 21 shots in a commanding win over Germany and kept Czechia competitive deep into their matchup against Canada, a game that was scoreless well into the second period before Canada’s depth eventually pulled away for a 5-0 final. The IIHF highlighted his composure under sustained pressure in that tournament.
Poletin’s game is built on reads and angles. He tracks the puck through zone play early, stays square to the release point, and trusts his positioning to take away the first shooting option rather than chasing with reactive athleticism. His butterfly is compact with a tight seal along the ice, which makes him effective against shots through traffic below the hashmarks and one-timer attempts directed low.
Rebound management is a genuine strength. He absorbs pucks into his body and directs controlled rebounds to the corners instead of kicking them back into the slot, cutting down on second-chance opportunities. That discipline, rare in goaltenders his age, limits the need for difficult recoveries and keeps his net-front clean.
“He’s probably going to be a goalie that will be drafted. He’ll be ranked pretty high.”
Bruce Hamilton, Kelowna Rockets President and GM (Castanet, July 2025)
The primary concern is Poletin’s upper-body mechanics. His glove hand rests low, roughly at knee height, and away from his body. That slows his reaction time on elevated shots, particularly to the glove side. When shooters pick corners with pace, the time it takes Poletin to lift and extend the glove creates a window that better competition will exploit consistently.
His post-shot recoveries are technically clean but lack explosiveness. He resets into position after the initial save, but does not get there fast. At the U20 SM-sarja level, the pace of play allows him to recover. Against quicker shooters at higher levels, the lack of burst in his lateral pushes and second-effort movements could become a real liability on cross-crease sequences and plays around the crease.
Poletin profiles as a second or third-round selection, consistent with his B rating from Central Scouting and No. 5 ranking among European goalies at midterm. However, the 2026 class is thin on goaltending upside. No netminder in this group has separated as a clear first-round candidate, which could nudge positionally mature options like Poletin up the board if a team values his structure and development environment.
His pathway forward has built-in flexibility. He can return to the Pelicans system for another season in Finland, competing for Liiga time while continuing to develop inside the Finnish coaching structure. Or he can report to Kelowna in the WHL, where the Rockets are building a competitive roster ahead of the 2026 Memorial Cup and could use a drafted goaltender with international experience. Either route offers meaningful games and a clear progression.
Risk- Reward Analysis
Risk- 3/5, Reward 2/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Goaltending – 4/10
“Frantisek is a young and talented goaltender. He is a competitive personality with the desire to develop into a top goaltender.”
Teemu Leppanen, Pelicans U20 Head Coach (Pelicans.fi, 2025)
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